Who We Are
Madison Lucas
Studio Owner & Competition Director
Precious Gems, Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Competition Team, Piano & Voice
Growing up in the Kalama community, Madison began dancing at age 14 in Longview, WA and learned many styles and genres, but focused on her passion of ballet, lyrical, and jazz as she progressed through pointe work and advanced classes. She has been dancing for 16 years and has been teaching for 9 since she left college where she studied musical theater and minored in dance pedagogy at BYU-I. She participated in many showcases and productions in college, as well as took many classes in muscle movement, dance technique and teaching skills!
She is a Progressing Ballet Technique certified teacher, a licensed Once Upon a Ballet instructor, is a certified Danscend Mental Health training for dance teachers, is a member of the Washington State Dance Studio Owner Coalition and the Dance Studio Owners Association, and will continue her own training as she teaches others. She is excited to bring dance back to her hometown and is honored to own Rising Heights Dance!
Jasmin Lindholm
Jasmin grew up in Kalama with Madison, and they reconnected after college, and is now the biggest supporter in creating Rising Heights Dance! You might not see her in the office, but she is ensuring that finances, costumes, recitals, scheduling, social media, website and so much more is running smoothly!
Aside from being Madison's best friend and business partner, Jasmin has a Masters Degree in Counseling with an emphasis on school counseling, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family Studies. She uses her education to train staff on safe practices and helping students grow with positive mental health strategies!
Hannah Buck
Instructor
Precious Gems & Acro
Hannah began dancing at 4 years old and learned many styles and competed through the PNW. She joined the Kalama cheer team and performed with them through high school! She has been able to teach and work with children in many capacities, including camps and cheer opportunities for the last two years and is so excited to share her love of dance and performing with her students!
Hannah started working at Rising Heights Dance this year and loves to create new ways to engage and inspire her students while encouraging safe tumbling practices and great dance technique!
Jill Gibson
Acro Director & Instructor
Acro, Ballet, Jazz, Competition Team
Miss Jill has been teaching students of all ages - from 3 years to adults - in styles like Jazz, Ballet, Acrobatic Tumbling, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Modern.
She started dancing at age 5 and grew up training and competing at a local studio, soaking up everything she could about dance! She's been able to perform with The Portland Trail Blazers, at Disneyland, and even on a Carnival cruise ship! She spent time training in summer intensives with the Oregon Ballet Theater, which helped shaper her love of ballet and technique.
At Rising Heights Dance, Jill runs the Acrobatic program with a focus on safety, thoughtful progressions that build strength, flexibility and confidence in each dancer! She loves choreographing for recitals and competitions, and enjoys seeing dancers bring stories to life through movement.
She is certified in Acrobatic Arts and nationally credentialed in Acrobatics, Ballet, and Jazz as both an instructor and an examiner through Dance Master of America. Above all, she helps dancers feel strong, supported, and inspired at every level!
Fun facts about Jill: Favorite colors: Pink & Blue, and LOVES sharks! When I'm not at the studio, you can usually find me spending time with my family, reading a good book or out adventuring in nature.
Delenn Grober
Instructor
Acro, Hip Hop, Tap, Competition Teams
Delenn started dance and rhythmic gymnastic at the age of 3 in Tigard, OR. At the age of 6 she joined the competitive acro and rhythmic gymnastics teams while dancing recreationally. She was taught by Carla Webber, a radio city Rockette in the 60's. At age 8 she joined the performing company at Westside Academy and started competing in tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary. She travelled nationally and internationally from 8-17 years old, earning her first national title at age 10 and international title at age 11. In 2011 she started training at the Communications Magnet Academy in Beaverton, OR and was a part of Dance West. She learned from Terry Brock, a trailblazer in Tap, and others in folk dancing, ballet and contemporary.
Delenn moved back to the PNW in 2021 and started teaching private dance lessons until she joined Rising Heights Dance in May 2023! In her spare time, she raises dogs and chickens, enjoys a self care and a good book and is joyfully married to her sweetheart!
Taryn Harmon
Rising Heights Dance is so excited to have Miss Taryn join us this year as she teaches our Tiny Tappers class! She grew up tapping in Oregon, and has been sharing her love of fun with students she works with, her wonderful children, and all she comes in contact with in many capacities over the years. She brings focus and technique to our youngest dancers and always brings a bright shine to every class! She serves actively in her church, connects with the outdoors often and loves going to classic rock concerts! You also will see her helping backstage during recitals, painting the amazing murals at our studio, and participating as a studio Mom and Grammie to some really special kids!
Jeana Johnson
Instructor
Jazz, Tap, Competition Team
Jeana started dancing at the age of 7 and competitively at age 10. She danced through school and joined cheer her senior year! She taught dance from 2006-2021 when she took a break to focus on her family. She has a 6 year old boy who is the light of her life, and now is at an age to allow her to come back to teaching! Dance has allowed her many experiences including dancing at Disneyland and Disney World many times, a cruise ship and a Portland Trail Blazer half time show as well as learning from so many great choreographers along the way!
Chloe Knight
Instructor
Precious Gems & Ballet
Chloe started dancing in the first grade at Academy of Dance Arts in Rapid City, South Dakota where she did ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical. She went en pointe at the age of 12 and was invited to a summer intensive at Ballet West in Utah. She danced for her high school in Provo, and shortly after graduating she married and moved to the Pacific Northwest to be near family! She loves working with children and spending time with her dogs.
Chloe began teaching dance at Rising Heights Dance in 2023. Chloe loves to teach our littlest dancers and always encourages positivity in her classes and within her dancers. As long as her students are cheering themselves and others on, loving their dancing selves, and improving each week her goal as a teacher is fulfilled!
Angela Malone
Assistant Competition Director & Instructor
Hip Hop, Pom, Competition Team
Angela began her dance and cheer journey at 5 years old! She loved to dance from an early age and started with jazz, ballet, tap and lyrical classes. In middle school, she focused on cheerleading and tumbling. During high school she competed on a nationally ranked squad and also began to coach a Pop Warner cheerleading squad. In 2019, she relocated from California to the PNW with her family. She loves exploring this area and making new friends.
Since moving to Cowlitz County, she began teaching dance again, completed her RN degree, and stays busy with her children! She is excited to join the Rising Heights Dance team and looks forward to meeting all of her new little friends and wonderful families!
Courtney Thach
Instructor
Acro, Jazz, Lyrical
Courtney started dance at age 3 and quickly fell in love with it. She joined a competitive dance team at the age of 7 and continued competing in several genres until the age of 18. During high school she studied ballroom and swing dancing and was able to work with other studios outside of her home studio. As a senior dancer, she was able to substitute and teach private technique and tap classes. After high school, she continued her dance career at the collegiate level performing at sporting events and in competitions against other college dance teams. She has received training through Acrobatic Arts. This will be her third year teaching and she is excited to share her passion for dance with the students at Rising Heights Dance!
Caressa Doyle
Office Superhero
Caressa has been part of the Rising Heights Dance family for one year, but has been in the studio since the start as a parent! She supports the studio through administrative excellence, competition coordination and managing online communication. With a background in cheerleading and as a two year cheer captain, Caressa brings a strong passion for youth activities and teamwork. Caressa is currently pursing her Bachelor's Degree in elementary education and is especially dedicated to supporting families in our studio by building fundraising connections and working closely with booster club to ensure all students can have access to dance, regardless of finances!
Breanna Smolarek
Front Desk Diva
Breanna joined Rising Heights Dance this year and has made the best and biggest splash in the organization, daily tasks, calls, emails and making connections with our dancers! She has been a part of the Rising Heights Dance family as a parent for several years and moving to this position has been such a blessing to our studio! She also work as nurse at a school and loves getting to help kids in many places! Her focus on health and organization adds so much to our studio and we're so grateful she is part of the team!
